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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747606">The (Red) Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HailSam/pseuds/HailSam'>HailSam</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Angst with a Happy Ending, Asexual Papyrus (Undertale), Asexual Sans (Undertale), Depressing, Drugged Sex, Forced Pregnancy, Forced Prostitution, It's Not Good, M/M, Not Happy, Police, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Skeleton Pregnancy (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Sans (Undertale), Unplanned Pregnancy, it's sad for a while, just saying, maybe? - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:00:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HailSam/pseuds/HailSam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a light at the end of the tunnel, and usually when people say this, they mean that eventually something good will happen after all the bad things.</p><p>Red's only bright light is his child, in a world of darkness. But can an eager and hopeful officer help pull him away from the shadows of the dark world he lives in? </p><p>Of course he can, but it'll take a while. Rome wasn't built in a day, but damn if Boss isn't going to try and help the nervous skeleton.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Papyrus/Sans (Undertale)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Be Brave, Cherry Pie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You can find me:<br/>https://twitter.com/sassyhaillive<br/>https://www.pillowfort.social/HailSam<br/>https://sassyhail.tumblr.com/</p><p>If you need on Pillowfort or even an invite here, let me know I'll help you out :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Red's life is hard.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This, too, was an RP that had a happy end, however I wanna focus on the sad depressing beginning first. Boss is an officer of the law who meets the sweetest skeleton at a party...but who is Red, really? </p><p>:3</p><p>Definitely sex, lots of it, porn, BDSM, what have you.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘If you could redo your life, would you?’</p><p>Of course. Had he the opportunity to redo his life, he would in an instant.</p><p>No more questionable men coming in and out of whatever he called a room or home that day. No more trusting them in their cars not to murder him or hurt him too badly. No more forking over all but ten bucks of whatever he made that day to a disgusting man who ruled his life by force.</p><p>But then it meant…no more…</p><p>…</p><p>Red was violently shaking from his thoughts by the man above him <i>finally</i> cumming, making a disgusted face as he felt him thrust in deep. The man, Jakob was his name, right?, pulled out with a sigh and the usual, “Was it as good for you, Cherry baby?”</p><p>Red’s face morphed into his ‘cute’ look, a blush on his face as he looked away, laughing nervously. “O-Of course it was, but um, it’s quite late, could I…?” But he went unheard as the man sat up, grunting as he pulled up his pants. Red sighed, sitting up as well. Guess a shower was out of the question, again. The man could pay to have Red taken home, but not enough to let him take a shower…what a peach.</p><p>“Well? You gonna leave?” the man grunted, and Red instantly held his hand up. The man huffed, grumbling as he dug out some crumpled bills and tossed them at him, and Red stuffed the bills down his shirt once he pulled it on. His skirt was pulled back up, grimacing at the mess over his thighs as he slipped on his cute black shoes as he gave a sassy wave to the man.</p><p>“Buh bye, darling, come by any time.”</p><p>The man just slammed the door behind him once Red was out in the cold, and he shivered. Great. Just. Great.</p><p>Yeah, this was his life. And he’d change it in an instant if he could. He dug around in the front of his shirt, counting the bills as he stepped through the snow. His off the shoulder black shirt with a cute skull and crossbones along with the very short skirt gave off an ‘adorable’ look, which matched his ‘stage name’: Cherry Pie. He had been video taped and put online for the world to see, but no one knew his real name. Not that he’d give it. Fuck them.</p><p>Dammit. He was a few dollars short. He slipped two of the bills away, rolling them up and tucking them into the toe of his shoe. He’d done it so many times that the uncomfortableness didn’t even phase him as he adjusted his shirt, pushing his breasts up to entice once more.</p><p>He marched home, avoiding the main street and using the alleyways. Despite the fact that his entire being relied on it, he hated soliciting people in their vehicles. He hated every single bit of it. But if he didn’t do it…then…</p><p>He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his shirt, tapping one out and lighting up, taking a fast drag on it before stamping it out in the snow, hiding them again. Peter hated them smoking inside, even though the entire ‘apartment’ seemed this side of falling apart.</p><p>The apartments were nice on the outside, a ruse to pull in the poor, the starving college students, those who had nothing left to lose. They offered a cheap rent, and a packet as thick as Red’s thigh (which, heh, was pretty thick) that you had to sign.</p><p>Oh yeah, the rent was cheap, but then you owed them for electricity and water and oh yeah that time they saw you with a guest even though you argued against it, the peeling paint, the maintenance repairs…oh the landlord felt so sorry for you, drowning in debt…but he had a solution. A good one, he swore.</p><p>Fucker.</p><p>At least, that was one of the easier ways of being caught up in the web. The others included drugs or just being sold to him. Red only cared when they tried to get physical with him, other than that, he ignored his neighbors…well…kind of.</p><p>Peter called them his ‘harem’, whatever they offered, he got for free. Sometimes he made some of them ‘play’ together with him, or just together so he could video tape it.</p><p>Disgusting man.</p><p>But Red had nothing, especially after he lost his job the day after getting said apartment. He had nothing, and Peter preyed upon it.</p><p>Well, almost nothing…</p><p>Red rode the elevator up to the second floor, squeezing between the broken doors and marching down the hallway quickly. He paused at his door, hesitating. Would it be better to see Peter first…? No, then he would ask Red anyway, so better kill two birds with one stone. He knocked twice, then three times, then he waited.</p><p>Joly answered the door, her stringy hair draping down as if to hide her face as she peeked out. “Oh, Cherry Pie,” her rough voice came out, coughing into her elbow. “You’re back early.”</p><p>Red shrugged. “Yeah. How was she?”</p><p>“Quiet, usual.” She stepped aside, letting Red in as she peeked out, then slammed the door shut, locking it.</p><p>The apartment was literally falling apart, the only safe spot was Red’s bedroom which held a small slightly painful bed and all of his clothes. Well. ‘His’ clothes. That was also how Peter got you in debt. He covered for you so often, you just lost count of all the times he did so.</p><p>In the corner of Red’s room was a lacy bassinet, a small cooing infant inside. Red smiled, beelining for it as he reached in for the skeleton baby. “Bitsy baby~”</p><p>His only bright light in this life. The only thing he would never take back. A product of one of the men, something he begged Peter to let him have. Bitsy was also a bargaining chip to be used on Red, but he didn’t care. He’d do anything for his baby.</p><p>She cooed at him, tiny grabbing hands waving excitedly now that her mama was here. He hefted her up, pressing her close and kissing her forehead. She had dark purple eye lights and a smile that could cheer even the worst person up.</p><p>Well, except Peter, that is.</p><p>After a moment, Joly cleared her throat, then coughed a few times, then cleared it again. “Gonna be late,” she grumbled. Red sighed, nodding.</p><p>“Yeah I’m goin’. Thanks, again.”</p><p>She held out her hand, an action reminiscent of earlier as he dug around into his shirt, tossing her the rest of his cigarettes. It was a bad habit anyway. She made a face. “Eh, it’ll do.”</p><p>Gee, thanks.</p><p>She left his home, and after a moment, he did as well, making sure it was shut tight and locked. He whistled softly to Bitsy, who patted at his face and giggled, little feet kicking away as he nervously made his way to the office.</p><p>(He stopped at the mat near his door, changing his shoes out for an exact copy of what he had been wearing. Hey now, he hadn’t been doing this for years without learning a few things.)</p><p>——————————————————</p><p>Peter was…not ugly. He had a bit of fat to him, some of his hair was thinning, but he had the look of a gentle grandfather to him, instead of the iron-fisted pimp that Red and the rest knew him as. He also employed ‘security’, a beefy man that had never spoken around Red, but who always held his baby when he visited the office. Red was extremely nervous around him, even though he never did a single thing to him. Yet.</p><p>But Peter always asked/told him to give Bitsy over while they talked, so he did. Just another part of his dreadful days…</p><p>As always, it ended up with Red on the desk, one leg crossed over the other, giving Peter an eyeful for sure as he played along, his leg bouncing not nervously, never, just…annoyed. Peter slowly counted the bills Red had slipped from between his breasts, also giving him a show to sate his thirst, looking bored to the world. Peter sighed, tutting. “You’re short again, Cherry Pie. What’s the matter, my dear? Hm?” One large hand cupped Red’s knee, and he kicked away the urge to kick Peter in his face. Instead, he gave a tittering laugh.</p><p>“You know how Jakob is…he hates it when I question how much he pays me.”</p><p>Peter sighed again, squeezing Red’s knee, almost to the point of painful. Red dug his fingers into his palms, but didn’t look affected. “You should work on that courage of yours, my dear. Not to worry, we’ll make up for it, hm? Yes?”</p><p>Red laughed nervously this time, giving a shaky grin. “What um, did ya have in mind?”</p><p>Peter grinned, such a greasy thing that Red felt nauseated seeing it. “Oh you’ll love this. The local police department is having a…well…sort of a bachelor’s party, in a manner. They want some party people there, to entertain.”</p><p>Red blinked. “But I thought you hated cops.”</p><p>Peter scowled. “I do, they’d shut me down in an instant. But this is both a favor to a friend, and because I maintain myself as a business owner. You wouldn’t do anything so rash as to say you’re being forced into this, would you?” His hand on Red’s knee dug in and Red flinched this time, quickly shaking his head.</p><p>“N-Never!”</p><p>Peter’s hand relaxed, and the fingers slid up his thigh with a grin. “Wonderful. Just do everything they ask of you, and you’ll be set for the week. I might even give you the week off for that, yes?”</p><p>That would…be strangely nice, and Red knew he’d pay for it the next week, but he nodded all the same, averting his eyes as the hand traveled higher. “Good, good. I knew I could trust you. I’ll get you something nice for the night, yes. Go get cleaned up,” he dragged his hand away, flipping through the money again as if forgetting what he had just counted, and Red sighed shakily in relief. </p><p>“Yes. Um. Thank you.” He mumbled, hopping down and quickly skittering away. The security buff merely leaned down, allowing Red to grab Bitsy-who was happily pulling on the man’s hair-away from him and sprinting out the door.</p><p>He could feel tears in his eye sockets as he made it to his home, giving a watery smile down at Bitsy who patted his face. “You’re the only one that matters,” he mumbled, kissing her cheek, and holding her tightly.</p><p>She was the only light at the end of the tunnel for him, the only thing he looked forward to at the end of each day.</p><p>All he wanted was a wonderful life for her, but there was no life here. Which was why…he stashed the money. Each night he took it out of his shoe, bundling it up in a diaper to hide in his bag. The humans had no clue that skeleton babies, or rather monster babies, didn’t need diapers, so all it looked like was trash to them.</p><p>Soon he’d have…just enough to skip town with. He’d leave, he’d go far away, and…do…the same exact shit he was doing here.</p><p>Everything felt hopeless, but he shoved it away to go and curl up in bed and sing to his baby.</p><p>He had an event to look forward to, after all.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Bitsy is my own OC! she's actually a CherryBerry baby and has the ability of doing the scary but cute look Blue had haha. but it wasn't Blue who got Red pregnant. In this world monsters' magic is more for...show...in a way? Red got pregnant on accident, but now he takes potions so he doesn't get pregnant again.</p><p>Let's be real, the only reason Peter allowed it is that he has a skeleton prostitute and he's wanting all the blackmail he can to keep Red on hand. Yes he's totally willing and able to threaten a baby and probably has in the past, which makes Red very, very nervous around him.</p><p>Red fakes his sassy mask, he's actually legit terrified 24/7 lmao. Poor baby. </p><p>Maybe Boss can help him out &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Meeting Boss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Red goes to a party. Things happen.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hmmmmmmmmmm yeah.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The chief’s retirement party was just as Boss had envisioned: loud, lots of drinking, cake at least, and…hired dancers.</p><p>The dancers were…unusual but Boss had learned that the force was…well, just like any other force. They liked the drink and they liked to party.</p><p>He was just a little different than them. He didn’t care for ‘lap dances’ or whatever, he didn’t care for nearly nude dancers who would wink at him and promise him a good time. He just didn’t. Never had.</p><p>Which is how he found himself sitting stiffly on a leather couch as loud thumping music played, next to a ludicrously dressed skeleton who appeared distant.  The outfit barely fit, the shirt had straps on his shoulders and rode up his belly, exposing a belly button ring. He had nothing on except what looked like a thong, with odd tights pulled up around his legs and small heels.</p><p>He looked <i>horribly</i> uncomfortable and Boss felt like offering his jacket to cover the other up, but he hadn’t spoken a word all night. His mind appeared elsewhere, staring down at his feet or twiddling with his fingers.</p><p>Boss sighed, making the other jump, looking up quickly. “O-Oh, sorry, I was…”</p><p>“NO, I’M SORRY. IT’S NOT BEEN A GOOD NIGHT, HAS IT?”</p><p>The monster slumped, shaking his head. “I’m not…feeling so well, I suppose.” He chuckled nervously as Boss frowned.</p><p>“THEN WHY WORK TONIGHT? I WOULD HAVE CALLED IN IF I WERE YOU.”</p><p>The skeleton shrugged, scratching a finger over his cheek. “Too late to do so. Um, did you want to…?” he looked up with a nervous smile and Boss grunted.</p><p>“I DON’T WANT ANYTHING…UNLESS YOU WANT TO TALK. WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”</p><p>“Everyone calls me Cherry,” he purred, shifting, the strap slipping lower on his shoulder. The heated look on his face would’ve looked…thrilling, had his face not look so pale. “What do they call you?”</p><p>“BOSS,” he mumbled, then reached out. Cherry flinched, staring curiously as a hand cupped his jaw. “YOU’VE GOT A FEVER. PROBABLY A COLD. SHOULD’VE STAYED HOME.”</p><p>“Should’ve,” he mumbled, looking down and away, then back up with a smile, cupping his hand over Boss’ hand. “But then, who would keep you company~?”</p><p>Boss snorted, drawing his hand away as a few people wandered by. It was easy to see who was an officer-still in their uniforms-and who was a dancer-just as scantily clad as Cherry was. Boss made a face, shaking his head. “SO. WHAT…DO YOU DO IN YOUR OFF TIME?”</p><p>Cherry blinked, leaning back on the couch in thought. “Um. Not a lot. I…sometimes, I like to go to the park and walk around. It’s nice.”</p><p>Boss nodded. The park was really nice, especially this time of year. “I AGREE. HAVE YOU…LIVED HERE LONG?”</p><p>Cherry nodded, curling his fingers together. “Mm-hmm. A few years now. Feels like forever,” he chuckled as the lights dimmed and the neon lights flickered over them, coating them in various colors.</p><p>“HMMM. WHAT BOOKS DO YOU LIKE?”</p><p>Cherry giggled, waving a hand before patting Boss’ knee. “I ain’t here for gettin’ ta know…unless that’s truly all ya want?”</p><p>Boss let a smile grace his face, nodding before place his own hand over Cherry’s, then moving it away to h old between them. “IT IS. I DON’T FIND INTEREST IN ALL…THIS,” he waved at the party. “CAN’T WE JUST TALK?”</p><p>Cherry had an unreadable look on his face for a moment, then nodded. “Sure. We can talk.”</p><p>They talked. For two hours. Boss found out Cherry adored summer dresses and sweet donuts, while Boss talked about how if he had a minor in his vehicle, he always-always, no matter what-got them a package of donut holes and an apple juice. They talked about what books they liked to read-mystery and romance for Cherry, adventure for Boss-what movies they found amazing and what ones they vehemently despised (Avatar TLA came up, and they both made matching ‘bleh’ faces.)</p><p>When the night wound down, Boss quickly gave Cherry his number. “SO WE CAN TALK MORE? MAYBE?” Cherry stared at him, then smiled, folding it up and slipping it under the band of his thong before patting Boss’ cheek.</p><p>“I’d like that. Stay safe, officer~” with a peck to his cheek, Cherry slid away towards the others who seemed to be packing up for the night.</p><p>Boss grunted as a hand clamped on his shoulder, nearly bringing him to the ground. “UNDYNE!”</p><p>Undyne, one of his superiors, laughed as she patted him roughly, hands on her hips. She was in uniform, her eye patch on perfectly. “AY! I saw you getting all pally wally with one of ‘em! Ya gonna mack on ‘em?!</p><p>“YOUR COLLOQUIUM IS UNWARRANTED,” he grumbled, straightening up as he popped his back. “AND NO, WE ARE NOT ‘MACKING’. THEY WERE A PERFECTLY REASONABLE CHAT COMPANION. UNLIKE YOU.” He crossed his arms as she sputtered.</p><p>“Hey! I’M REASONABLE!”</p><p>“WHEN YOU’RE NOT SLOSHED TO NEXT WEEK. NOW IS ALPHYS COMING OR-”</p><p>“OH STAAARS!” She groaned, dramatically flailing her arms around him. “Alphys is like. So hot, my guy and she lOVES ME?!”</p><p>Yup, there it was. He thought it was odd she was sober. As he let her dangle off him, spouting poetry about her wife, Cherry turned and caught his eye, holding a suitcase of…stuff they had brought. He winked at Boss, who gave a nervous wave, and Cherry was led away by one of the taller dancers out the back.</p><p>…he hoped he could see the other again.</p><p>—————————————————</p><p>“I’m just…really tired,” Red mumbled, not flinching from Peter’s hand on his head.</p><p>Peter had worked him hard today. Woke him up early for a shoot, and didn’t let him rest, not even to get food, until he left for the part that night. Good thing he had gotten some bottles made up for Bitsy, otherwise he didn’t know what Joly would be doing…</p><p>Peter tutted, gripping his chin and forcing Red to look up at him. “I know, I know. Don’t worry, the client asked for a nice little kink tonight. He wants you asleep. You can do that, can’t you?”</p><p>Red hesitated, his hand hover over Peter’s wrist. He’d learned not to grab after the first time. “W-What?”</p><p>Peter pulled out a bottle of pills, shaking them. “Sleeping. You getting fucked in your sleep, do I gotta spell it out, Cherry Pie?”</p><p>Red gulped. He hated those. He never knew how he’d wake up, or if he’d be…okay. “C-Could I have the day off tomorrow? Please?”</p><p>Peter sighed, gripping his jaw tightly before letting go. “I do spoil ya a little too much, Cherry. Here.” He offered two of the green pills and Red took it immediately, swallowing it down. That was the trade, and Peter was nothing if not bound to a promise.</p><p>It didn’t take long until sleep settled in, making him slide to the side with a sigh, not caring how Peter started to undress him. </p><p>Now he could only hope he would wake up. He always had a fear it’d go too far and he’d..well. Dust.</p><p>When he did wake up, he was laid out on his bed without a care, filthy and sticky, aching of course, but beyond the normal pains and aches nothing seemed to be worrying. A quick bath and he was right as rain, tucking back into his bed naked since he really didn’t feel up to dressing. Bitsy was sound asleep in her crib, thank the stars for Joly, honestly.</p><p>What was his life? He shut his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the sting in his chest. What kind of life was this? Hoping he wouldn’t die in a drug-induced haze or that someone wouldn’t be a killer if they picked him up from the corner…?</p><p>No. He pushed it away, as he’d done millions of times. He swallowed, clearing his throat as he nuzzled into the scratchy pillow. “Good night, baby,” he mumbled, hearing her tiny snores. That’s what kept him going, after all.</p><p>The only thing…</p><p>He decided, tomorrow, he’d pretend nothing was wrong and take Bitsy with him somewhere. The park, perhaps. Let her sit in the flowers, talk to the butterflies…wasn’t there an infant play place around there too? He would find out tomorrow…</p><p>His phone buzzed, stirring him from his half sleep. He had texted the officer that he’d gotten home safe, but didn’t know if he’d get anything back. Fishing it out of the covers, Red checked it.</p><p>‘GOODNIGHT THEN, PERHAPS NEXT TIME WE CAN DEVOUR DONUTS TOGETHER ! \O/’</p><p>Red smiled, sending a simple ‘okay, next time’ and slipping the phone back near his pillow. It was his only alarm, the simple flip phone was cheap to keep. </p><p>Well. What a day it had been. Not like it would change anything. Never had before.</p><p>But for now, he had a day at the park to look forward to (and eating donuts with the very handsome officer to imagine).</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Red just needs a year off honestly.</p><p>So like basically I imagined them getting together and like it ending up they can't stand sex (or rather, Red can't, Boss is like 'WHATEVER LOL' ) so they're just. They're just close and kiss and cuddle and maybe go to therapy bc Red kinda needs it after all this</p><p>but for now, he's just gonna go to the park, suspect nothing, perhaps nibble a donut with a very handsome officer~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. First Date!!!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>First date in the park! Kinda!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ya'll are gonna haaaaaate this hahahahahahahhahaha</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lately, Red hadn’t been…feeling so well. He’d been tired, more often than not. But, as Joly had pointed out, he’d just had a baby too so, his energy was pretty much being stolen by the little thing who held his soul in her tiny hands.</p><p>Fair on that one.</p><p>Today was a nice day, however, and he wanted to take advantage of it! So he bundled her up in a sling on his chest, darting out of the home quickly to avoid being caught and ‘just one, then you can leave’ type of situation. Nope, nothing at all today! No way!</p><p>Bitsy burbled up at him and he smiled, peeking down at her as he slowed his jog. He wore a simple black tank top with a giant kiss mark on it with a jean skirt and tennis shoes. She held onto his shirt, staring at him before smiling and giggling.</p><p>Ah, she just! Took his breath away, truly.</p><p>He took a deep breath, kissing her tiny head. She smelled of sweet baby powder, as all babies did, it seemed. So precious! “Let’s go on a fun walk, hm? Yes?” he cooed and she clapped her tiny hands, cooing back at him eagerly.</p><p>Fantastic!</p><p>He hummed happily, the cold didn’t bother him anymore but he took great care to keep her snug and cozy. She had an adorable sleep suit with little googly eyes on the top! It was fuzzy and made hugging her feel so nice! He’d spend all he could on her, if it weren’t for the fact he was saving to get them out and away from this town.</p><p>Walking through the park was…always an event. He had to keep his head ducked down and away, lest any customer believe he was free to be approached. Some of them had sense enough to be polite around a baby, but some of them…well, he’d rather not chance things. </p><p>He did jump hearing someone call his stage name, but kept moving, determined to pretend that they had the wrong person…until a familiar officer jogged into view, bright smile on his face. “CHERRY! IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU OUT AND ABOUT!”</p><p>Red paused, hesitating as he smiled back, looking Boss over. “Officer~” he purred. “What a surprise. Were you following me? Hm?”</p><p>“N-NO!” Boss stumbled over his words, blushing as he rubbed the back of his head, his hat askew and quickly fixed with long elegant fingers. “AH, THERE’S A VENDOR NEAR THAT I LIKE TO STOP AT AND BUY COCOA, HOWEVER, I SEEM TO HAVE MISPLACED THEM…”</p><p>Red blinked, then made an ‘aaahhh’ noise. “You mean Michael. His wife had their baby, he’ll be gone for a while.”</p><p>“DRAT,” Boss snapped his fingers, looking away with a pout. “I SUPPOSE I SHALL HAVE TO LIVE ON COCOA FROM HOME AND BEG HIM TO COME BACK LATER.”</p><p>Red chuckled in amusement. “I suppose so.”</p><p>“Ah!” Bitsy squawked, making Boss blink and look down.</p><p>“O-OH! I’VE INTERRUPTED YOU, I’M SO SORRY-”</p><p>“It’s fine, it’s…nice to stop and talk,” Red adjusted her a bit, up nearer his shoulder. He shouldn’t feel the need to keep her hidden, but the fear laid deep inside him, even as he smiled. “She’s a talker sometimes, but I’ve been told newborns sleep constantly.”</p><p>Boss blinked. “NEWB-AND YOU WERE WORKING YESTERDAY?!”</p><p>Red blinked back, tilting his head. “…y…yes?”</p><p>“NO NO NO, COME!” he ushered them on to Red’s amusement and Bitsy’s little ‘aaahh!’s at him, shooing them to a bench. Well, Red couldn’t say he didn’t approve of the rest. His legs were aching-how long was he walking?-and it was almost time to feed her anyway. “THERE! YOU SHOULD RESERVE YOUR STRENGTH FOR YOUR BABY AND YOURSELF!”</p><p>Red gave him a smile. “Thank you, officer~”</p><p>Boss nodded, striking a pose. “ALL IN A DAY’S WORK! ER. IF YOU DON’T MIND ME ASKING…?”</p><p>“I’d rather not say,” Red bit out, sighing as Bitsy started to fuss and he started to undo the sling. “It’s nothing against you, I just…” don’t have a clue, he should say, but…”don’t want to talk about it.”</p><p>“NO PROBLEM,” Boss nodded, looking away when Red lifted up his shirt without a care. Red flinched when something covered his shoulders, and…it was his coat…it smelled of pasta sauce and oddly, ink. He looked up with wide eyes as Boss cleared his throat. “IT’S CHILLY, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO, UM, FREEZE, OUT HERE.”</p><p>Oh.</p><p>How sweet.</p><p>Red gave him a smile, rubbing the baby’s back as she fed, little hand curling and uncurling. “You’re a dear. Didn’t you promise me donuts last time?”</p><p>“I DID! WAIT RIGHT HERE!”</p><p>He sped off, now clothed in a black tank top as well…it fit him nicely, and Red couldn’t help his eyes wandering for a moment before Bitsy brought him back with a huff, staring up at him. He smiled, cupping a hand over her tiny hand. “What? My attention not on you?”</p><p>She blinked, then resumed her eating, happy with things right in her world now. Red sunk into the coat a little, shutting his eyes. Just for a moment. Just to relax. Just to-</p><p>“HERE WE ARE!”</p><p>Red opened his eyes with a sigh, giving a tired smile now as Boss took a seat near him, opening a box of donuts. “Do you have chocolate? It’s my favorite.”</p><p>“MINE TOO!” Boss happily took out one, helping Red juggle it and the baby, studiously looking up and away. What a dear, he blushed so easily, it was adorable. Red bit into his, melting at the warmth and delicious taste.</p><p>And…they…sat and talked. Boss talked about his job, and Red side-stepped talking about his. He asked about Bitsy and Red was pleased to gush over her, adjusting his shirt back into order once she was full and happy. She quickly grew bored of them and napped in the sling, little hand over her mouth, twitching every so often.</p><p>It was long. It was…a little boring. But it was…it was nice? It was nice to sit and relax and talk about something other than sex and ‘do you have a condom’ and hashing out prices. It was nice and boring and delightful and Red had never had such a nice time with someone.</p><p>So it disappointed him when Boss’ break was up, but he eagerly gave Red the rest of the donuts. “WE CAN HAVE MORE! SOMETIME, IF YOU WANT!”</p><p>Red smiled at him, tucking the box under his arm after giving back the coat. “I do. Text me.”</p><p>Boss beamed, saluting before rushing off into the fray of his job. Red chuckled, kissing Bitsy’s sleeping head. “He’s marvelous, isn’t he?” he whispered, shuffling away down the long winding trail once more.</p><p>No one could steal his soul away like his own beloved daughter…</p><p>…but Boss sure was giving an effort for it.</p><p>——————</p><p>Red got worse the next day, but what was more concerning was the fact that Peter seemed <i>concerned</i>. The bodyguard was going around with some weird machine, grimacing at something, but Red didn’t care. He had a headache, he couldn’t stomach the donuts at all, and he felt just so, so tired.</p><p>He laid on the couch, texting Boss almost playfully about how he felt.</p><p>‘I’M SORRY! :( MAYBE TAKE IT EASY TODAY??? PERHAPS YOU HAVE THE FLU! IT HAS BEEN GOING AROUND.’</p><p>‘I don’t normally get sick. But. I’ll take it easy, kay? ;P’</p><p>‘;P’</p><p>Red cracked a smile, sighing as he heard Bitsy start up her sniffling, slowly dragging himself up off the couch. He took her to lay on the bed with him, tucking her in close as she fed, her tiny feet kicking as she stared up at him. He smiled, plopping his head on the pillow, staring at her dimly as she ate.</p><p>…and then…</p><p> </p><p>—————</p><p>‘Cn u cm 2 my place?’</p><p>‘CHERRY? WHAT’S WRONG?’</p><p>‘Idk. Tired. Bby not wak up. Tired.’</p><p>‘CHERRY, I NEED YOUR ADDRESS. CALL ME, OKAY? LET ME KEEP YOU AWAKE.’</p><p>‘Whoepfhahrgug’</p><p>
  <i>ring…ring…</i>
</p><p>“CHERRY, WHAT’S HAPPENING?”</p><p>“mm…tired…dun feel good. ‘M at the apartments…on Elm…”</p><p>“OKAY, I’LL GET AN AMBULANCE, OKAY? TELL ME ABOUT THE BABY.”</p><p>“Went ta sleep…too fast though…(heavy breathing) t-tired…”</p><p>“JUST, HANG ON, WE’RE HEADED YOUR WAY…JUST KEEP TALKING TO ME, YEAH? WHAT’S HER FAVORITE COLOR?”</p><p>“she’s a baby, (mumbling) colors…”</p><p>“CHERRY, DON’T GO TO SLEEP!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“CHERRY? DAMMIT! *click*”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I once heard a man say, in complete seriousness, "My wife is going to die if she doesn't have these croissants."</p><p>I do believe the quickly diminishing oxygen in the room may kill her first, good sir.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You Leave Me Breathless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Red wakes up from his misadventure at home, and finds out something...bad.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>=)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Red wakes up to chaos. Something’s covering his mouth, something’s beeping, and he’s under a blanket. He tries to fight against it, but his hand weakly raises before falling against his chest as he wheezes. Another hand covers his and he jolts, trying to pull away.</p><p>“-RY, IT’S OKAY, IT’S OKAY…”</p><p>The voice was soothing, and he slipped back into dreamland again, mouth slack, breaths wheezing through the mask on his face.</p><p>When he woke up again, he was able to take in more of his environment...kind of. He knew it was a hospital, and idly he wondered if it was the same one he ran to in terror, thinking he was losing his baby and not <i>giving birth</i>. </p><p>Probably. There were two in town, right? Meh.</p><p>The pattern in the ceiling was the same one he stared at, lost in his own thoughts, and the smell...urgh. That too clean smell. It snuck into his sinuses and leeched on, stripping away any other scent.</p><p>If he had a better home, like a cottage in the woods like he always dreamed of, he’d have it smell like peppermint every day…</p><p>His drifting thoughts started bringing back memories, and he tried to sit up, the mask on his face clinking against his jaw irritatingly...until a hand held his. He jerked, looking up with wild eyes, panting, his breath making a mist on the mask.</p><p>It was Boss, who had bags under his eyes, his cute officer hat off and on the side table...holding Bitsy, who seemed to be napping away without a care. “Wh...what…?” Red panted as Boss smiled at him.</p><p>“YOU’RE AWAKE! I’M VERY GLAD...YOU SCARED ALL OF US.”</p><p>Red blinked, feeling sleep claw at him but he shook it away, not seeing how his hands shook as he gripped Boss’ hand. “Wh...what...happened?” Every word felt like he had to drag an anchor from the ocean floor.</p><p>Boss frowned, and told him the story.</p><p>CO2 poisoning. Someone’s heater or oven wasn’t installed properly, and they left it on without realizing it. The CO2 invaded the apartments, since there was no properly installed insulation, and the fact that the person who lived in the apartment kept their door wide open to the hallway.</p><p>Red wracked his brain on whose it was, and he figured it was Kyle, part of a group who had lost his key eons ago, and decided instead of chancing the wrath of their accursed landlord, he’d just climb through the window when he came home.</p><p>Red didn’t care, but well. He did now, at least.</p><p>It turned out the pipes that held the gas were rusted, one of them having broken in half in Red’s home, giving him an extra pump of the breath-stealing gas.</p><p>Red looked at Bitsy, his face crumpling. “W-What about…?”</p><p>Boss soothed him, rubbing his thumb across the back of his hand. “SHE’S...SHE’S OKAY, THEY CHECKED HER. IT’S A LONG EXPLANATION, BUT UM…” He looked guilty about something, and Red would have asked had a doctor not knocked, startling the both of them.</p><p>“You’re awake! That’s good,” she said, stepping in and shutting the door behind her. She was tall, with long brown hair and a serious expression on her face as she approached his bed, but it melted into a smile. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>Red hesitated. “I-I…” he motioned at the mask nervously. She nodded.</p><p>“Your voice relies on your magic, which right now is in a wreck, so it’s not unusual for you to have trouble speaking.” She pulled a clipboard from under her arm, looking it over. “You might have some memory loss, confusion, but overall I can see you healing and back to normal within a month or two.”</p><p>Red looked over at his baby, nervously tugging on Boss’ hand. “OH! UM, YES, COULD YOU EXPLAIN…?” He rocked the baby up a little, and the doctor nodded. </p><p>“Yes, that’s right, Bitsy.” She cleared her throat, and Red knew it was something he didn’t want to hear. “As she’s still young, she doesn’t quite have all the intricacies of her own body down. You could toss her in a pool and she wouldn’t drown, for instance.”</p><p>Red nodded, he knew that. All skeletons could do that, but as they grew older, they were able to ‘make parts’, their magic able to filter on its own instead of relying on their parents to coax the magic and teach it. </p><p>"Well, the CO2 infiltrated your magic stream, causing it to slow and be sluggish, you see." She adjusted her glasses as she spoke. "...but not Bitsy." </p><p>Red blinked. "Huh?" </p><p>"She doesn't have enough of her own to be able to filter it in, like you did. However, your magic being fed to her meant she was getting a dose of it." She made a face, biting her lip for a moment. "And because it was sluggish, she wasn't getting as much as she should…in essence, the magic was…tainted and she was getting more and more hungry." </p><p>Red tilted his head, his sluggish mind trying to parse out the information. "She wasn't…g-getting enough?" </p><p>The doctor nodded slowly. "Yes…her falling asleep so often and eating more and more often wasn't her settling in a routine. She was…getting sick." </p><p>Falling down. The doctor didn't have to say it but they all knew it. Red's magic wasn't acting right, and he was starving his baby. </p><p>He felt sick. He’d only been at this new parent thing for a week...maybe two, maybe more he didn’t even know now, and he was fucking it up. He gulped, curling his fingers tightly into Boss’, needing that bit of grounding. “H-How, do I…?”</p><p>The doctor shook her head. “Right now, ‘you’ can’t fix it. Sadly this is something that magic sometimes doesn’t bounce back from.” She tapped her clipboard. “However, we have technology and medicine on our side. We’ll have to keep you both here for a while, run your magic through basically a purifier…”</p><p>“I-I can’t,” he wheezed, shaking his head, but Boss squeezed his hand.</p><p>“IT’LL BE OKAY, CHERRY! I PROMISE. YOU AND BITSY NEED THIS, OKAY?”</p><p>He couldn’t. He didn’t have the funds for it, or insurance, giving birth was a cataclysm as it was. Also...he...didn’t want to know what the hell Peter would do while he was here. The biggest thing was getting thrown out on their tailbones...although, there were worse endings to it.</p><p>The doctor nodded, putting her clipboard back under her arm. “Everyone inside the residences have been evacuated, and they’re all suffering from various levels of the CO2. It’s harder on monsters to jump back from this, especially in levels so high.” She patted his foot under the blanket. “I’m sorry, but I really must keep you and the baby here, until you both start perking up.”</p><p>Red shrugged, looking down and away, curling his arms around his knees as Boss thanked her and she left them alone, in the quietness of the hospital. Boss gently nudged him, and he looked up.</p><p>“ARE YOU HUNGRY?” Boss smiled, and Red shrugged, then held out his arms for the baby. Boss easily slipped her into his arms, letting Red hug his baby tightly, Bitsy yawning softly and burying her face in his shirt.</p><p>Boss stepped out of the room to get him some food, leaving Red to cry softly and berate himself for being such a shitty mom he wasn’t even aware his own kid was starving.</p><p>--------</p><p>Boss came by every single day. Red found it odd, especially since-obviously-they couldn’t have sex in a hospital room. So, he was a little suspicious about his motives, but mostly he was concentrating on trying to get better for his baby.</p><p>Bitsy thrived under all the care that the nurses gave them. She was no longer the sleeping, quiet baby that Red had come to know, but rather a chattery squeaky baby who slept maybe three hours a night. Red had been shocked to be woken up so many times, but the nurses-surprised that he really had no clue what he was doing-assured him it was all in a baby’s nature and that that’s just what they did, sleep and eat and make funny noises.</p><p>The hospital he had given birth at just gave him enough info to keep himself alive before rushing him out, and he was on his own, again, like always.</p><p>Bitsy was a babbler who liked to keep an eye on Red or whoever was holding her at the time. Red adored how she would reach up at him, poking at him curiously, happy and healthy...and fat. She’d gained a whole pound in the two days they were there!</p><p>Her bones didn’t feel as thin either. He really felt a lot of regret, but the doctor assured him that he didn’t do it on purpose, that if he had known he would’ve fixed it, wouldn’t he?</p><p>Of course he would! She was his baby.</p><p>The nurses were so nice, weirdly nice. …<i>Too</i> nice.</p><p>It made him suspicious, but being fed three times a day with some good food, somewhere to bathe with hot water, cuddle with his baby while watching reruns of game shows. A nice little relief from his usual day to day life.</p><p>Boss came by, grabbing Red’s tray of chicken and rice with a roll, rolling the table over as Red yawned, shifting Bitsy in his arm as she fed from the sterile bottle the nurses made up for him. “Oh, that looks g-good,” he cleared his throat, still a bit breathless. “Thank y-you.”</p><p> </p><p>“OF COURSE.” Boss smiled, sitting in the chair near his bed. Bitsy blinked, noticing him and immediately kicking her feet, mumbling around the bottle. Red smiled.</p><p>“Sh-She likes you, hah…”</p><p>“MM.” Boss nodded. Red frowned, taking a bite of the roll.</p><p>“E-Everythin’ okay?” He coughed, adjusting the happy baby as she bapped at the bottle eagerly. Boss cleared his throat, shifted in his seat, then tugged on his uniform. He’d only worn regular clothes once when he came, but he always seemed on shift when he came by.</p><p>“IT’S. WELL. THE...INSPECTOR HAS...DEEMED THE APARTMENTS UNFIT FOR LIVING CONDITIONS.”</p><p>Red blinked, scooping a spoonful of rice to nibble on. “Wh-What’s that mean?”</p><p>Boss frowned. “CHERRY, THEY’VE LOCKED THEM DOWN UNTIL YOUR LANDLORD FIXES THE MESS HE MADE...THEY WON’T ALLOW ANYONE IN.”</p><p>“S-So I’m homeless?” Red shrugged. “I’ve been-been there before.” For several months, actually...it was cold, but he knew some tricks to keep himself safe.</p><p>“BUT WHAT ABOUT BITSY?”</p><p>...oh...he looked down at the sleepy baby, who smiled around the bottle at him peeking down at her. He...hadn’t had a baby around with him when he was homeless. Would that make it worse? He’d already screwed this whole thing up by making her sick…</p><p>“I…” Wait, his emergency money! He could sneak in-he’d done it before-and grab it. It was enough for...maybe...a few days. He perked up. “H-Hotel room! I-I have some-some money saved.”</p><p>Boss made a face, picking at his sleeve for a moment. “I WANTED TO, UM,” he blushed, fidgeting around, confusing Red since Boss was never like this. “I MEAN! IF YOU WANTED TO! YOU COULD. STAY? WITH ME??? F-FOR A LITTLE WHILE,” Boss stumbled over his words, a blush on his face.</p><p>How cute. And even though Red really didn’t feel sexy sitting in a hospital bed with a mask on his face and a drooling baby in his arms...well, Boss kind of made him feel…</p><p>Wanted. In a good way.</p><p>So, maybe he’d get killed or maybe he’d be in a worse situation than with Peter, who knows. But...the cute officer was so earnest that he just couldn’t help but to agree.</p><p>“Okay. For a lit-little while.”</p><p>Boss’ grin was really bright, like Bitsy’s silly magic-drunk grin as she stared up at him, full of happiness and not a care in the world.</p><p>He ducked his head, and returned to his food, listening to Boss talk about his day and how Undyne had sprinted after a thief so fast she beat the cruiser there.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My characters: I know we've only met for half a day but I wanna live in your guest room<br/>Me: sounds reasonable</p><p>why do I do this? idk man. I think like, there's not a lot arguing to be had???? Like. Hey you wanna spend the rest of your money on a hotel room and possibly STILL end up homeless or like, come spend some time at this person who you kinda like's house and possibly get to know a little better???</p><p>Like there's a distinct winner here</p><p>.....anyway! Bitsy's already all good to roll, it's just Red who's taking a while to heal up, but once he is, he gonna go live with a very handsome officer &gt;w&gt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Moving In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Boss helps Red move into his home. Red's fine with this.</p><p>He is.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Boss: OH THIS'LL BE SO EXCITING WE CAN GO ON DATES AND STAY UP WATCHING HORROR MOVIES AND-<br/>Red: I wonder when he's going to ask for sex &gt;&gt;</p><p>Oh Red. Let Boss coddle you UwU</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Red wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting out of Boss. It took a while for them to release him and Bitsy, and he was feeling the heat of the momentous bill looming over him. But for now, he’d ignore it, like he ignored every other terrifying thing in his life until it became too late, and he let Boss wheel him out to his car. He’d even grabbed a car seat for Bitsy! He was really way, way too sweet.</p><p>Bitsy, however, did not appreciate his kindness, and kicked up a fuss once she was buckled in. It was startling to see the difference in what he assumed was his quiet baby and this talkative little thing, but he really didn’t mind it. It was nice to hear her singing quietly to herself or babbling at him. He laughed nervously as she whined and kicked her feet, slowly buckling into the back seat. “Is, is she gonna be okay?”</p><p>He still wheezed with every breath, and they had provided an inhaler of a kind to him, something that would ease his magic lines in his throat when his breathing became too harsh. Soon he wouldn’t need it, but until that time, breathing was such a chore. Boss nodded as he shut the door, starting up the car. “YES, ALL BABIES DISLIKE THE CAR SEAT AT FIRST. LET HER HOLD YOUR HAND!” he chirped, smiling at Red through the rearview mirror. Red gave a nervous smile back, leaning over the car seat and mumbling to the angry baby.</p><p>She fussed until he held out his hand, to which she attached on like a little koala, staring up at him with wide eye lights, giggling happily. He smiled back, leaning in to kiss her tiny hand. He would do anything for her.</p><p>He’d rode in the bus before, and the clients would take him home in their cars (never back though…), but this was...different in a way. It was relaxing, he could almost fall asleep if he shut his eyes. But no, he wanted to see where Boss had his home all set up.</p><p>Would it be an apartment, like how they showed on TV where cops hung out and made coffee all the time? Would it be some giant home like he’d seen while walking around, wondering how many rooms a home could have before it became too lonely?</p><p>He must have dozed off at some point, because between listening to Bitsy make little spit bubbles and the radio playing some pop song, he’d blinked and all of a sudden they were parking in a garage. He jerked, coughing to clear his throat as Boss looked around the seat. “YOU OKAY?”</p><p>“I, um, must’ve. Fell asleep. I’m fine.” Red sighed, gently untangling his hand from the baby, who whined until he managed to undo the straps and set her into his arms. That made her much happier, content to wiggle her little feet against his shirt for some reason.</p><p>Boss helped him out of the car, although Red felt he was being a little overprotective with how he fussed over them. It was charming, but silly. Boss led them through a door, nearly bumping into a washing machine as they entered. Red noticed there wasn’t a dryer, and he frowned. “Only a washing machine?”</p><p>“I HAVE A CLOTHES LINE!” Boss gently bustled them through. “I LIKE THE SMELL OF THE SUN ON MY CLOTHES.”</p><p>“It does smell good,” Red conceded, albeit it was still a little weird.</p><p>Through the door, which had a little step to it, laid a carpeted hallway with a bookcase to the side. On the left was an open door to the kitchen, which was pretty souped up if you asked Red. Like one of those kitchens on the food network, all spiff and span. It was funny to think of Boss cooking elaborate meals. He just didn’t seem the type, you know?</p><p>The living room was opened through the hallway, with a dark red carpet and pretty cool pictures on the walls of people Red didn’t know nor recognized. There was a large TV above a fireplace, and a funny L-shaped couch. Red always liked those, especially those images of people making a bed out of them. They looked sooo comfy! </p><p>Boss turned, pointing towards what looked like the front door with a glassy window, and a door to the side. “THAT’S A BEDROOM, WHICH CAN BE YOURS! IT’S JUST A GUEST ROOM, ALTHOUGH, WE MAY HAVE TO GET SOMETHING FOR BITSY TO SLEEP IN.”</p><p>Red perked up. “I have a crib! Back...at...the apartment,” he mumbled, slumping. Right. No one was allowed in. But Boss nodded, looking determined.</p><p>“I SHALL GO RETRIEVE IT FOR YOU! NOT TO WORRY, I’M SURE IF I EXPLAIN THEN THEY WILL ALLOW AN OFFICER INSIDE!”</p><p>...huh. He was right on that, they’d trust him more than they would Red. Red nodded, shifting Bitsy to his other arm as his arm started to tire. “Actually, could you get me a few things then?”</p><p>“SURE! BUT FIRST, YOU SHOULD REST!” He nudged them towards the couch and Red rolled his eyes at his mother henning. But. It felt nice for someone to bustle around him, making sure he was okay and whatnot. He let Boss herd them to the couch, Bitsy happily squealing up at him as Red settled in the corner of it. Boss grabbed up a blanket hanging over the back of it, happily covering Red up. “THERE! COZY? ARE YOU HUNGRY?”</p><p>Red chuckled, adjusting Bitsy to lay on his belly to keep her close, and she peeked up at him curiously, touching at the blanket fringes. “Um. Maybe some water for now?”</p><p>“OF COURSE!”</p><p>Boss sped away and Red hunkered down into the couch, no springs pressing into his thighs, no weird musty smell lingering around. In fact, it smelled kind of sweet, like spices, or like Boss, in a way.</p><p>The moment Boss had left, after giving him the water, he’d dozed off with Bitsy laying on him, cooing and entertaining herself until she too took her usual nap.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Boss had seen some pretty awful apartments. Bloodied walls, animals running rampant, the ones that were too clean with one of the adults nervously assuring him all was well while sporting a bruise around their cheek or eye. </p><p>Red’s wasn’t so bad, in a way, but the door didn’t seem to shut all the way? And the home wasn’t...decorated, nor was it...homey? It felt like no one lived here, and no one had in years. </p><p>Red had instructed him what to grab and where. On the coffee table-the glass seemed cracked but stable-was a book that he had put some baby things in. Then the only place left was the bedroom.</p><p>That, that was decorated. It was nicer than the rest of the apartment, at least. The crib had shaky stars drawn on it by hand, and painted in pale pink (although, he could see it was peeling. He’d have to fix that for Red!). He could easily pull it apart, thankfully, he’d hate to have to go and get a big trailer if he could just put it in the trunk of his car.</p><p>Red had specified a duffel bag on top of the dresser, and to not take any clothes out. He said it was ‘embarrassing’ and had blushed and well, Boss didn’t want to push, of course!! The duffel bag felt heavy, so he hoped it was some good clothes for Red and the baby.</p><p>Of course, there were extra onesies and the like of Bitsy’s in a special baby dresser Red had. Boss made the decision to bring it along, despite the fact Red had not asked for it. It was obviously loved, pure white with shaky hearts doodled on it, the nobs a bit dirty from whoever opening it constantly.</p><p>Yes, he felt like that was a brilliant idea!!</p><p>Then, he knelt under the bed, reaching out for something really odd that Red had requested.</p><p>A folded cloth diaper.</p><p>Monsters-and skeleton monsters in particular-didn’t have all the same systems as humans did, nor did they expel their magic out like humans did with their nutrients. Magic was absorbed into stores, stores that the baby wouldn’t have yet as every bit was being used to build and keep her tiny form together.</p><p>So it was odd for Red to have a little diaper around (although, Boss distinctly recalled some monsters put their children in little ‘bloomers’ or even diapers just to cover them should they decide clothes were not necessary and would throw them across the room). But, well. It was cute?? It had little flowers on it and pinned together. Maybe it was just a little keepsake for Bitsy’s baby things. </p><p>Parents did that, right? He was pretty sure his coworker talked about those blue jean diapers and how they saved one in a baby book.</p><p>Kinda weird, but he wouldn’t judge.</p><p>He hesitated, but then unzipped the duffel bag just a little, slipping the strange diaper inside with a shrug. It’d leave one hand open, at least.</p><p>With that, he packed up the rest to his vehicle, making sure to take a few deep breaths out in the fresh air. For some reason, even without the CO2 coating everything, the air inside felt heavy. Stale.</p><p>Trapping.</p><p>He headed home, thinking.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Red sighed happily as he sunk into the bath, the warm water enveloping him and the squirmy baby. Oh this was nice, even if he had to share the bath with a small, squeaking baby bones (not that he truly minded). The water wasn’t scorching hot nor freezing cold, and Bitsy seemed happy to prod at bubbles that passed by.</p><p>He tilted his head back, letting her lay on his chest and mumble against his shoulder. This was the life. Maybe he could convince the officer to swing by sometimes, drag him here so he could have a bath. That’d be nice.</p><p>He let them soak a bit before sitting up, leaning her back against the water a bit. “Alrighty, baby baby. Time for scrubbing~!” She cooed at him, squealing as he took up a washcloth and started washing away at her little bones. It was a bit hard, she was wiggly and wet and easy to lose hold of, but he managed to maneuver her around, making her little bones shine brightly.</p><p>“There we are~! Bitsy baby baby~” He cooed, bouncing her as he got up and out of the bath. It was almost time to feed her anyway, they still had some of his cycled magic in some bottles, just to ensure he was totally free of the noxious gas in his system. She squirmed inside the towel he wrapped around her, tucking one around his waist without a second thought as he stepped out into the hall.<br/>He didn’t know Boss could blush so brightly. “R-RED! I’M SORRY!” He quickly turned, facing away, as Red raised an eye ridge. What was he-oh. He chuckled, hand on his hip, baby babbling happily.</p><p>“LIke what you see, officer~?” He purred playfully, laughing as Boss squeaked.</p><p>“A-AH WOULD YOU LIKE A SHIRT? I-I’LL FIND YOU ONE!” He scurried off, to who knows where, and Red rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he peeked at his baby.</p><p>“Does he know he headed to the kitchen, dear?”</p><p>Bitsy stuck her tongue at him.</p><p>“I thought as much.”</p><p>Boss still had a blush on his face when Red appeared, finally clothed in one of his more modest clothes: a sweater and a pair of jeans. Bitsy was gearing up for a large fuss when he grabbed a bottle, and she sniffled angrily at them both as she ate. Red hummed, sitting in one of the chairs. “Sooo. What are we doing…?”</p><p>“OH, I NEVER ASKED WHERE YOU WORKED,” Boss mumbled as he stirred a large pot of what Red could smell was spaghetti, or something with oregano at least.</p><p>Red laughed nervously, adjusting Bitsy in his arms as he cleared his throat. “I uh, they’ll let me take a break, I’m certain.” Plus Peter’s main hub is down, and he’s most likely more concerned about being caught or losing money than ensuring any of THEM were taken care of.</p><p>But then that meant no steady income (whatever it had been) coming in. He frowned, thinking as Boss started talking about his own schedule, apologizing for when he had to work late, but that it was all a part of being an officer. Well. Hm. That would suck. He had the emergency cache hidden away, but Boss would certainly ask for him to pay rent or for food or the like.</p><p>Oh, maybe he could just trade out with his body, then. It saved him a few times in the past, although there was no telling if he would be like Peter and make him go out on the streets.</p><p>Ah well. He’d think on it later. For now he hoisted the baby up closer, taking the plate with a small ‘thank you’ when Boss laid it in front of him. Spaghetti and garlic toast, how quaint!</p><p>It was just this side of too spicy, but it tasted of bittersweet memories of childhood, imagining a quiet life in a quiet house with a partner or friend.</p><p>Life was always this side of too spicy, wasn’t it?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Babies and cats have a few things in common, the biggest thing being: if you're one second late on feeding them they WILL let you know by being as LOUD and ANGRY and ANNOYING as possible</p><p>how DARE you miss their feeding window by half a second!!!! Revenge is swift.</p><p>Anyway Red's thinking it'll be a Peter situation, but Boss is kinda hot enough he'll let it swing. Boss won't be happy when he finds out what the landlord's been doing U_U</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Baby Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Bitsy's not having a good time. Neither is Red.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Colic sucks, even more so for little monster babies and their mamas who have no skills in baby-rearing U_U</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Red’s plans of either seducing Boss or paying him back are derailed with Bitsy’s incessant crying.</p><p>At first, it was…semi-tolerable. She would pick up right after breakfast, fussing softly and having Red to excuse himself with an embarrassed smile, being soothed after a little while, then escalating into wails after lunch. Of course, Boss was a hard working police officer, he shouldn’t have to deal with a screaming baby.</p><p>So Red ducked into his room, softly shushing Bitsy, walking around with her held to his chest. When her little fists started yanking at his shirt, he yanked it off and just kept her close to his thrumming magic. </p><p>It seemed to calm her, for a while, leaving him exhausted and diving headfirst into a nap, slowly crawling out of bed when he heard the door opening to Boss coming home for the night.</p><p>Flirting did not work with a squalling infant in your arms, you know?</p><p>He broke about a day into it, not having had any experience in a child not at all satisfied with the world. Or just bored, perhaps. He didn’t know. All he knew is he was curled up on Boss’ couch, Bitsy cradled in his arms, squalling and wailing without a breath in between, and him nervously rocking her and trying to feed her with the bottle. It was the last one, but she had to finish it off.</p><p>”Please,” Red begged silently, trying not to tear up himself, “Please, just, drink a little, okay?” He let out a shaky sigh when a small fist batted away the nipple, ratcheting up her wails once more. “Stars above what am I going to do…”</p><p>Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this. He knew he wasn’t. He couldn’t give her a good place to lay her head, nor could she ever know what his real job was…he was a shitty parent, through and through, and this just solidified it. He gulped, shakily sighing as he quickly just laid her on the floor on top of her blanket, curling up on the couch and watching her. She screamed louder, her little feet kicking, no tears but her face was scrunched up angrily.</p><p>“Oh Bitsy,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He jumped when he heard the door open, not sure how long time had passed by. He looked over the couch, Boss pausing in the doorway as he took off his jacket, seeing Red’s tear-stained face.</p><p>“RED? WHAT’S-”</p><p>”I just can’t take it!” he yelled over the screaming, standing up off the couch and letting out a sharp sob. “I just! I’m not meant for this, I have to…” He shook his head, bolting from the room, his breath speeding up as he started to panic, throwing himself into the room and screaming into the pillow on the bed. He just couldn’t take it any more.</p><p>~~</p><p>He counted to thirty, and slowly crept out of his room, steeling himself for the wails of his infant. But there were none. He swiped at his eyes, having changed into a nightgown for the night, seeing Boss on the couch. He cleared his throat, coming around, one hand on the arm of the couch.</p><p>Boss looked up, giving him a smile he certainly didn’t deserve. Bitsy seemed to be asleep, her hands clutched onto his shirt, but her face was still scrunched up, prepared to assault anyone who dared to disturb her slumber’s eardrums.</p><p>Red felt miserable. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.</p><p>”NO NO, I SHOULD’VE ASKED HOW YOU WERE,” Boss said, slowly handing over the baby when Red held out his arms. Said baby let out a shaky sigh, nuzzling into Red’s shoulder once she was settled. Red sniffed, shaking his head.</p><p>”Everyone else can do it with ease,” he mumbled, rubbing her back slowly. “You don’t see parents at the end of their rope on the TV.”</p><p>”NO, BECAUSE IT’S ALL FAKE,” Boss nudged him to sit on the couch, taking down a thick blanket and tucking it around Red without a second thought, careful of the dozing infant. “THEY DON’T SHOW THAT BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR IT. IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE NORMAL.”</p><p>Red sniffed, rubbing his eye socket on the edge of the blanket, legs crossed under it. “Is it? I feel horrible.”</p><p>”BABIES CRY, AND PEOPLE FEEL FRUSTRATED,” Boss shrugged. “THAT’S WHY IT’S GOOD TO HAVE PEOPLE YOU CAN DEPEND ON TO WATCH THEM FOR A MOMENT WHILE YOU GET YOURSELF BACK TO HEALTH!”</p><p>Red chuckled, sighing as he leaned his head back on the arm of the couch. “She was never like this,” he mumbled, fingers skating up and down her pajama covered spine. “I don’t know what’s happened.”</p><p>Boss gave a nervous grin. “I CAN’T SAY, SHE’S TOO YOUNG TO TEETHE…PERHAPS A CHECK UP WOULD PUT YOUR MIND AT EASE?”</p><p>Red made a face. He didn’t have money for that, and they’d ask him questions he wasn’t sure he could answer. But…he looked down at his sleeping baby, recalling the hours and hours of crying that never seemed to stop, and how he felt like bashing his head against the wall would be better. He sighed. “…I suppose. Yes. Okay.”</p><p>Boss gently clasped his hand, looking excited for some reason. “NOT TO WORRY! I SHALL CALL THEM THEN!”</p><p>Red chuckled, slightly enjoying the warmth of Boss’ hand around his. “…thank you, then.”</p><p>Thankfully, it seemed either Bitsy had finally tired herself out, or the break from Red’s frayed nerves had helped them both, as they slept through the night for once in…only a few days, surprisingly. He felt like it had been years.</p><p>He dressed her up in a darling little pink onesie with ‘MAMA’S CUTIE’ written on it. Today she was cooing and giggling, and he wasn’t sure where that screaming mimi had gone to. Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal, maybe he should tell Boss to cancel the whole thing-</p><p>And then he remembered the breakdown he had yesterday. No. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them should it happen again.</p><p>So he dressed in something that covered him (a shirt with a cut-out window for his breasts, and a short black skirt, sadly the only things he had left that wouldn’t embarrass the working public) and off they went. Boss kept sneaking looks at him, which left him a mix of complimented and confusion. Why didn’t he say anything? And why did he look so concerned?</p><p>The doctor’s office was weird. It had bright colors and a fish tank, so he trotted over to it, hoisting Bitsy up so she could peek at the fish. “Look at that one, hm?” She babbled, patting her hand against his face and he sighed, kissing her little fingers playfully. She seemed normal-ish now…</p><p>The nurse called them in, and Red was happy to pull Boss along despite his slight hesitancy. No way was Red sitting in on this alone.</p><p>The nurse asked him to strip the baby down to weigh her and he hesitated. “She’s been…in a mood so…”</p><p>The nurse, a brunette human, nodded. “I understand, but we’ll still have to weigh her. Here, let me…” </p><p>Together they managed to slowly tug the onesie off her without making her squall again. She seemed amused at the bucket and kicked her feet, cooing and grabbing at her own feet until Red picked her back up.</p><p>The wait for the doctor wasn’t long, although it was mostly spent in silence. Red didn’t know much to say, and Boss was nervous. Bitsy was having a nice time cooing at them both, grabbing at Red’s collar playfully and giggling. Red gave a nervous smile to the baby, letting her babble at him sweetly.</p><p>The doctor was a pale pink cloud monster, named Pirrou. Pirrou smiled at them, putting the clipboard on the sink and shaking Red’s hand, then Boss’. “Nice to meet you both. How’s little one doing?”</p><p>Red smiled nervously, tucking his arm back around the baby. “A-Ah, that’s what we’re um, here about.”</p><p>”I see,” they took a seat on the stool, still smiling as the baby waved her tiny hand around. “So what’s going on?”</p><p>Red sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. Normally she’s a happy baby, but for the past few days she just screamed and cried…”</p><p>Boss nodded. “FOR AN HOUR, ONCE, IT’S VERY HEART-BREAKING TO HEAR.”</p><p>”I’m sure,” they chuckled, a hand cupping over the baby’s head, clouds puffing up around it as she cooed. “The humans have something called ‘colic’ for their infants. With that, it could be anything from trapped gas to any number of human maladies.” They tutted, the cloud hand distracting the baby. “However, monsters don’t quite have that. It’s less ‘gas’ on our part, and more that it’s just a lot of baby energy to make up their own form.”</p><p>Red frowned. “Huh?”</p><p>Doctor Pirrou smiled, or maybe that was a smile under all those clouds. “Growing pains, as it were. She’s a tad small for her age, so with some good magic and caretaking, she’s coming into her own size. Normally young monsters don’t experience this for, oh, about a month or so, then again during childhood, and once more when they’re a teen.”</p><p>Red nodded slowly, although he still looked a little confused, but Boss smiled. “SO, NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT?”</p><p>”No, not at all, sadly it’s just a time they’ll cry during.” They took up the clipboard, humming. “And what about you, Mama? How are you feeling?”</p><p>Red just shrugged, looking away as he hefted the baby up to his shoulder as she started to fuss. “Tired, I suppose. All this crying has tired me out…” he chuckled sadly. The doctor clicked their tongue, looking over at Boss. </p><p>”Could you step out a moment, sir? Won’t take but a moment.”</p><p>”SURE, I’LL GRAB A TOY FOR THE BABY,” he smiled at the nervous Red, stepping out of the room. </p><p>The doctor put the clipboard to the side, clapping their hands and leaning forward a bit. “Tell me what’s bothering you, I can tell something is.”</p><p>Red sighed, bouncing Bitsy on his shoulder. “It’s just, I put her down and had Boss tend to her while I just…went and cried,” he mumbled, his face burning hot at the admission of what he felt was a bad thing. “A lot has went on, and I suppose it came out all wrong.”</p><p>”No, there’s nothing wrong about needing a break,” the doctor said, assuring Red. “Some parents need to step away, some have partners or families they can rely on to watch their children. Sometimes, you just have to call a babysitter.”</p><p>Red cracked a grin as Pirrou continued, “So tell me, I couldn’t find a lot about the birth in my files. Could you tell me a little about what happened? Do you have any questions?”</p><p>Red blushed again, adjusting the squirming baby onto his other shoulder. “….um, right…okay…well, I went into the other hospital’s ER…”</p><p>~~</p><p>Boss had a little squishy whale that spat water out when filled up. He found it adorable, and while it may not be a for-life toy, at least she could take out some teething anger on it when the time came. He was polite and didn’t enter the room again, until Red and the doctor came out, Red’s face flushed and looking a little embarrassed, Bitsy dozing in his arms as Doctor Pirrou smiled at Boss, a hand on Red’s shoulder. “If anything else comes up, you can always give us a call,” they nodded at them both. “And take care of yourself too, Red. Check on those books I told you about.”</p><p>And with that the doctor disappeared, leaving Boss to show off the whale to Red. Red smiled, but seemed to have something on his mind as they left, Bitsy putting up her regular fight of the car seat until she settled, a bird outside the window catching her sight. Boss started up the car, looking over at Red. “WHAT BOOKS DID THEY RECOMMEND?” he asked lightly.</p><p>Red stared out of the window as they drove out of the parking lot. “…could we stop by the library?” he said instead.</p><p>Boss didn’t take it to heart that Red didn’t answer, he figured it was something that Red didn’t want to share as he had been asked to leave the room. So, he nodded, humming along to the rock and roll playing on low on the radio.</p><p>He didn’t say a word when Red stepped back in the car after hopping into the library quickly, a bag of books in his hand. He did see the spine of one book, which read ‘What to Expect: The First Year of Your Baby’s Life’.</p><p>He could see a popular fiction book on top as well, possibly something to read to Bitsy, or to Red himself.</p><p>At the bottom was a book, ‘After The Baby’s Birth’, and a book that Boss didn’t recognize, but assumed Red would enjoy.</p><p>(Bitsy went down for sleep without incident, thankfully. Red wasn’t sure he could handle another sleepless night. He climbed into his bed, cross-legged, the book spread out on his lap. He took in a deep breath, opening it. </p><p>‘Thriving in Sex Work’ it read.</p><p>“Part five,” he read aloud. “ ‘Don’t fear the future.’ Alright. Show me what you got.”)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Red edged around the 'who's the father' question, then let it slip that he's a sex worker. Thankfully the doctor had a few books he could read up on, and maybe assumed that because Red said HE was tired all the time and not THEY, that Boss wasn't pulling his weight and wanted to ask in private.</p><p>This is getting more serious than I had begun with. Hmmm. Anyway! Next time...something completely unexpected!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Tumble On Down</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Red has to get back to 'work'.</p><p>Sadly, Boss catches him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Guess who watched Law and Order: SVU for the past hour????</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You know that old saying ‘all good things must come to an end’? Red wished he’d never heard of it.</p><p>It’s in the middle of giving Bitsy a warm bath that his phone rings. He curses, as he knows who that specific ringtone belongs to, but he can’t leave the baby to float by herself in the tub. She’d be so scared! So he managed to juggle it so he could flip open the phone, lodging it between his shoulder and skull. “Hey there, sugar~” he purred, smiling at Bitsy as she patted her hands on her ribs with a coo.</p><p>“Don’t try and ply me with those sugar-sweet words, you whore,” Peter grumbled through the phone. “All this shit going down and you’re livin’ it up somewhere.”</p><p>“Am not,” Red whined in an effort to sway Peter over to him. “Been lonesome without being around ya~”</p><p>“Yeah, right. Whatever, look, I’m losing money on all this,” he complained and Red rolled his eye lights as he adjusted Bitsy to sit up and clean up her back. “You’re one of the higher earners, get out there and bring me somethin’ in.”</p><p>“Aw Peter, it’s cold out there,” and he didn’t want to make up some lie for Boss. “Do I hafta?”</p><p>“Yes,” Peter growled. “Go to the normal spot, I hear there’s a few been prowlin’ around. Guess that Winter huddle is driving them insane,” he laughed. Red didn’t find it as funny, but he mumbled an affirmative all the same.</p><p>Great. Great great great. What the hell was he going to do now?</p><p>~~</p><p>Boss had to agree with Red. He deserved a day out and about without the baby, at least for a while! Sadly, Boss had to work or he would have watched Bitsy, but he helped Red pay for a babysitter-his neighbor’s teen who was saving up for a new video game-and Red shooed him out of the house with a smile.</p><p>Perhaps...this will cheer Red up even more!! Yes, that’s what he had to think about!</p><p>And not about Jack, the neighborhood pervert in his hatchback, drunk out of his mind and parked halfway on the sidewalk. He sighed as he got out of his car, rubbing at the ridge between his eyes as he headed over to where Jack was on the passenger’s side, chugging down a bottle of booze. “JACK, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, SIR. YOU CANNOT SIT AROUND NEAR AN ALLEY, AND IT IS ILLEGAL TO DO WHAT YOU’RE THINKING.”</p><p>This spot was a popular spot for single men-and not so single men-to haunt around and find someone willing to ‘have a little fun’ in exchange for cash. So much so, they had their sting units out today, something he was going to participate in were it not for Jack. Jack groaned, slumping against his dash. “But eeeyyy coppah,” he groaned, hiccuping. “I-I’m waitin’ on him!”</p><p>“WHO?” He looked around slowly, no one was nearby except a stray cat in a dumpster, dozing away. Jack hiccuped again.</p><p>“Cherry ppppiiiiieeee~!” He started cackling as Boss squinted. ...wait...was that- “He’s so peeerfect!” he laughed drunkenly, his head dangling. “Not gun say why ya gonna juuuudge meeeee….”</p><p>“PROBABLY,” Boss mumbled. No, it had to just be a coincidence. It didn’t matter, Jack was breaking the law anyway. “YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CALL SOMEONE TO PICK YOU UP, I’M NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE WHILE DRUNK.”</p><p>He could only stand Jack whining about ‘Cherry Pie’ not showing up for so long until he managed to get the car towed and Jack in an Uber. Technically speaking, he didn’t pay anyone yet, so all he was in trouble for was drinking in public and parking on a sidewalk, so off he went home...for now. If he caught him again, he’d drag him to a cell.</p><p>He had to be somewhere, after all.</p><p>~~</p><p>Hotel on 6th was a notorious one. They’d busted drug gangs, gangs in general, and several prostitute rings. It was the same dance and song normally, but now Boss was keyed up. He had hoped that it wasn’t as Jack had been implicating.</p><p>But he was wrong.</p><p>Hotel on 6th had agreed to let them kit out a room with cameras and microphones, and they had years back, upgrading as the years went by. All officers also had body cams so nothing could be argued against. In the other room, they had TV monitors with all the angles to show what was happening in room 201. They had never let it get beyond the acceptance of money, and they had busted men and women alike, prostitutes and johns, and everyone in-between. </p><p>Thankfully, they weren’t arresting the prostitutes, but they were after the pimps. They promised help and sanctuary, and some were just too used to their ways that they would deny any help and keep their mouths shut about any details. </p><p>Today they were hoping to get down to the nitty-gritty on something they had found curious. There were a few women out and about working the corners, but they had all but disappeared after the incident at Red’s apartment complex. They wondered if it was connected, and had noticed that more and more cars had started to drive slowly through the streets. All very coincidental, but they couldn’t chance it.</p><p>Supposedly, despite the chill of the evening, one of their undercover agents had found someone possibly connected with everything and had convinced them to use the hotel due to the cold.</p><p>They had accepted.</p><p>They were Red.</p><p>Undyne, who sat in the rolling chair next to him, propped her feet up on the desk, giving out a low whistle. “Didn’t expect this,” she mumbled.</p><p>“NEITHER DID I,” he responded, hand holding his chin as he scowled. He wasn’t angry at Red, not really, but he wished the other had told him or...maybe he just didn’t connect the dots rightly.</p><p>All the same, the officer-a new one, Martinez-sat on the bed in his pressed outfit, twiddling his thumbs as Red came out of the bathroom in a fluffy robe and nothing on underneath, letting out a breath. “You were right, a nice warm shower melts the bones~” He hummed as he rounded the bed, taking a seat next to him. “Sooo~”</p><p>Martinez laughed nervously, gulping as he pulled on his collar. “S-Sorry, this is my first time, heh. I uh, you see…”</p><p>“Are you a virgin?” Red hitched up an eye ridge and Martinez’s face flushed. Boss knew most of it was an act, but perhaps the bluntness caused him to be knocked off his pace.</p><p>“N-No! No, I mean...no.”</p><p>“Hm. Perhaps you were bet to do this then?” He laughed, one leg elegantly crossed over the other as he swung them lightly. “Or was it a spur of the moment thing?”</p><p>“Well uh...yeah, I was dared on it, hah, you got me.” He nervously rubbed the back of his head. “But I do have to say, um, I was curious, you know?”</p><p>“About me or in general?” Red winked, leaning back on his elbows playfully as Martinez cleared his throat. </p><p>“Uh, in...general?”</p><p>“Cute.” Red chuckled. “So, now that you got me here, what’s the plan?”</p><p>Undyne flicked on the microphone connected to Martinez’s secret earpiece. “Seem interested in something, anything, but hesitant that you’re not sure how you two go about it.”</p><p>Martinez seemed to nod as if in thought. “Well um...the bet was just getting you here, as it was, heh.” He shrugged. “But I guess I can’t say no to...um...well is there like, a menu?”</p><p>Red burst out laughing, a laugh that didn’t match the one that Boss had heard at home. It sounded fake as if he was trying to pretend, and Red nudged Martinez’s arm. “Never been asked that before~ depends, what do you like?”</p><p>“I mean, does anyone say no to a blowjob?”</p><p>Red tutted, wagging a finger playfully. “You got me there, yes, no one has said no to it yet. Fine, condom on is $100, none is going to be $250.” He eyed Martinez for a moment. “And if you want to choke me it’s an additional $100, even if it’s accidental.”</p><p>Martinez seemed to turn a bit white. “W-What! I wouldn’t do that!”</p><p>“Everyone does, don’t let it get to you,” Red waved his hand. “But if I have to be the one with a sore jaw then I better get more out of it.”</p><p>“R-Right…”</p><p>Red tutted. “At the end of it, it’s going to be an even $500 if you want to finish it all off, and I don’t take installments,” he snorted, then paused, as if thinking. Boss wondered what he was trying to figure out, for a moment. “Hm. Make that $520.”</p><p>“U-Uh, why-”</p><p>“I said.” Red snapped, glaring at him. “Either do it or don’t, I’m not the one with a hard-on here.”</p><p>Undyne grumbled about Martinez not screwing this up and Boss tapped the microphone. “IT’S NOT YOUR MONEY ANYWAY, OFFICER. IF YOU SCARE HIM OFF THEN WE GET NOWHERE.”</p><p>Martinez quickly nodded, bringing out the fake billfold as he dug out the bills. “O-Okay, sorry, here-hey are you okay?”</p><p>Red’s hand had reached out, their signal to go in and bust the ‘both’ of them, but what he said made them all pause. Red snatched the money out of his hand, the image of the bruised wrist and cracked arm still burning in Boss’ mind. When did that happen? Where? Who?</p><p>“It’s none of your business, certainly,” Red mumbled as he flicked through the money, and it was obvious how his hand trembled how painful it was. “I’m not using my hands for this, am I?”</p><p>“I...guess...not,” Martinez, now concerned and no longer faking a persona, stared at Red for a moment, then cleared his throat. “D-Do you need a pillow or…?” Another indication they needed to go and break this up since obviously it wasn’t meant to escalate into anything.</p><p>As they left, they could hear a bit of talking, but not sure what the two were saying now. Boss really, really did not want to face this, but it was true, and pieces were falling into place. That’s why Red was at the party that night, they weren’t entertainers but ‘entertainers’ that whoever was over them was trying to keep in line. </p><p>...but what about the baby?</p><p>No, all these questions could be answered only by Red...if he ever talked to him again after this. After all the shocked, and then devastated look that Red shot him when they burst into the room was bound to damn his soul for the rest of his life. But he had a job.</p><p>And a new goal: get Red out of this safely.</p><p>...if Red ever trusted him again.</p><p>~~</p><p>Well. There went that relationship. And a good $520.</p><p>Not that he was getting that anyway, but he was going to shove that extra twenty bucks away. It would’ve pushed him into his goal for savings, and perhaps he would have come to visit Boss once in a while, or maybe ask him to go on a country road trip. People did that, right?</p><p>Right.</p><p>It didn’t matter though. Boss knew what he did, fully, now, even though he assumed the other had known all along. But being caught was somehow...horribly embarrassing. He hadn’t felt like that since he was a teen and was caught making out with his datefriend under the stairs of the school.</p><p>Due to...the extenuating circumstances, he didn’t have to sit in an uncomfortable interrogation room, or a cell. Instead, he was sequestered off to an old break room that held a couch and a dying fern, and a vending machine. Boss had brought Bitsy to him since both of them were going to be away longer than the poor babysitter had anticipated.</p><p>Neither of them had said much to one another, and if Red could get away with it, he’d like to just...disappear into the ether, never to darken Boss’ door once more. He was good at running away like that, after all.</p><p>Bitsy seemed displeased with the change in her normal day-to-day schedule but was happy to be with her mother all the same. Red had stretched out on the couch, thankfully re-clothed after they ‘let’ him do so. Heh, if Boss had seen what he was wearing on the way out, would he have caught on sooner? He had on that Cherry shirt when they had met once, plus an extremely short leather skirt and...no shoes. The clients he had preferred him with none sometimes.</p><p>Did he ever have an inkling?</p><p>Red had, at first, assumed so, and then...he wanted to...keep it away from their fake, happy life for the time. A dark spot that he’d return to eventually, but Boss would have had to never know.</p><p>Ah well. Better to have gotten it over at some point. Now all he hoped is that he could convince them he was really stupid and he could avoid Peter’s wrath. Because that was certainly coming, what with the loss of income tonight AND the threat of the authorities once more breathing down his neck. Red wasn’t sure he’d survive that one, as he shifted to stare down at his aching arm. He was surprised he got out of that one…</p><p>He shifted Bitsy to sit up a bit, kissing her tiny head as she cooed at him. “Just you and me, baby,” he mumbled. “Once again. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He would. He had promised it, the moment he found out about her, and the moment she was born.</p><p>Even if that meant that he couldn’t be around her...</p><p>But for now, he took his mind off it by stretching out on the couch, intent on catching up the sleep he had been missing out on lately. Had things went differently, he would have convinced the other to leave the hotel room and reveled in the silence for about a half-hour.</p><p>For a moment, he thought it was Boss entering the room, and he felt a mix of nervousness and hope but deflated when it was just that fish cop coming inside. Well, maybe that was for the best, all the same. He shifted the baby upon his good arm, sniffing lightly. “Officer.”</p><p>“Look, we both know what we’re lookin’ for, what can we do to get ya to tell us?”</p><p>Red just blinked, acting confused. “I absolutely don’t know what you mean.”</p><p>She sighed, running a hand through her red hair. “Think about your kid, man-”</p><p>“Don’t bring her into this,” Red glared at her and she slapped a hand onto the nearby coffee table.</p><p>“Fuck if I don’t! You won’t be able to keep her safe for long, no matter what you think!” She glared at him with her one eye, and he idly wondered what happened to the other. “There’s always ‘one more time’ or ‘just another day’, but what happens on the day you don’t come home or when your pimp decides she’s too loud to deal with?”</p><p>Red wanted to tell her that that wouldn’t happen, that it was so far in the future he couldn’t even imagine that, but she interrupted him, “And what happens when she gets old enough that he takes an interest?”</p><p>“W-What?” he said, his eye lights flicking from the now dozing baby in his arms back up to the officer. “What, I mean, she’s just a b-”</p><p>“But then she’ll be a child, then a teen, and it’s easy to protect a baby when you can pick them up and go,” she scowled, “But there’s gonna be a time when you can’t do that and do you really want her following in your footsteps?”</p><p>A real low blow that was, and it was one that Undyne used often because she had learned that people would do almost anything to keep their kids safe, and if it meant giving up who they were working for or who had paid them to kill someone, they tended to do so without hesitation if only to protect their loved ones.</p><p>And she was not a fair player in the game of crime.</p><p>Red didn’t answer her, staring down at the baby, but she knew that he was thinking over it. For now, she sighed, standing up straight. “Think about it, okay? We can’t hold you, but...think about it.”</p><p>Halfway to the door, Red spoke up, but not about what she expected.</p><p>“Is he...mad...at me?”</p><p>Undyne’s eyebrow furrowed, her hand on the doorknob, but she didn’t let the confusion show. “Nah, Boss? Mad? Ain’t even in the dictionary. He’s just busy, he’ll be by.”</p><p>She’d make him come by, not just to try and get names out of Red, but because she couldn’t deal with this mopey pair of skeletons. Boss was pouting around the station because he didn’t know how to face Red and now Red was moping about thinking the other was mad. Urgh. She was gonna kick their butts into gear!</p><p>That’s what she decided to do, exiting the room with ease, as Red tucked himself up into the couch, the cogs in his skull whirring away at what she had insinuated.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>there's a scene with Olivia where she's trying to get this lady to tell them where her daughter went and she's like 'do you really want your daughter to end up just like you' and I think the lady started to cry bc she didn't but I think like, someone kidnapped the little girl or something???</p><p>Anyway cheap shot, Undyne, that's fucked up.</p><p>But it's also a real reality that Red *hasn't ever considered*</p><p>I think my favorite part of this is<br/>"Look if I have to get choked I better get reimbursed pretty good for this"<br/>idk it just makes me laugh XD</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Requests</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Boss wants to know what he has to do to make Red at ease enough to help them.</p><p>Red...only has one idea.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I <br/>didn't<br/>plan this, exactly</p><p>but uuuuhhhhhhh kinda digging it</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bitsy had the cutest tell when she was hungry. She would wiggle a little, then blink up at whoever was holding her, then she would puff up her face a little. One hand would swing in the air, and then if the person still didn’t get that she was hungry, she would scrunch up her face and start to sniffle, then cry. ‘Cry’, since she never really shed a tear. It was rather cute, in a way.</p><p>It was easier to focus on instead of, you know, everything else.</p><p>She would watch him, you know? With those little purple eye pips of hers. Just as intrigued in him as he was with her, little hand curled against his chest as if thinking long and hard on something. He never could get her to reveal what it was, she would just smile up at him and make a little noise, and he would fall ever more in love with her (pardoning the driving him crazy with the constant crying stint that had happened, and even then, his love never truly wavered).</p><p>Undyne brought him a snack to eat, a little package of Chex Mix that he picked the squares and pretzels. They were his favorite, after all. He had a can of coke along with it, while it may not have been the best, or healthiest, meal, it wasn’t the worst he’d had by far. Any meal was better than none, he had found.</p><p>When Boss-finally-made his way over, he was busy chucking the little white squiggles and brown chips into a small trash can. He paused, Bitsy in one arm happily drinking away, himself with his shirt dangling halfway off (it was easier to do that than lifting it, anyway), a group of white squiggles in his hand above the trash. “…uh. Hi.”</p><p>“HI? WHAT…ARE YOU DOING?”</p><p>Red blinked, dropping them in and wiggling his fingers, digging back in the bag. “The crumbs are delicious, but I hate every other thing in this bag.” He flung a brown chip into the trash with an unamused frown as Boss took a seat nearby on the armchair.</p><p>”THAT SO?”</p><p>”Yes, they hurt my teeth,” he shrugged, reaching in and gleefully taking a handful of the little squares to crunch on. Boss cleared his throat, pointing at the mark on Red’s arm.</p><p>”WHAT UM…WHAT…HAPPENED?”</p><p>Red tilted his arm curiously, still chewing. The crack and marks were disappearing now that he was downing some food. He shrugged, tilting his arm back to dig out a pretzel, swallowing. “Nothin’ much.”</p><p>”RED-”</p><p>”It’s nothing,” he groaned out, rolling his eyes with a scowl. “…I’m sorry. I’m not exactly, you know, thrilled or anything, right now.”</p><p>Boss nodded, not saying anything for a moment as Red crunched through his delicious findings, sipping the can of soda. Bitsy, noticing Boss, kept tilting her head back trying to see him and mumbling. Red adjusted her a bit, huffing. “You silly girl, stay put.”</p><p>”SHE’S VERY CURIOUS,” Boss quirked a smile, waving at the baby who made little huffy noises excitedly. “…YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME…I’M ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP.”<br/>Red scoffed, shifting to lean back now that he had finished off the bag. “Maybe. Tell me how fast it would take for you all to actually do something about him? Huh? And in that time of you all dragging your feet, I get launched out in the cold. And that’s the best possible situation I can come up with.”</p><p>Boss winced, shaking his head. “B-BUT! YOU STAY WITH ME SO THEN! MAYBE THAT CAN-”</p><p>”We both know it’s just temporary,” Red sighed, cradling Bitsy close. “And even if it wasn’t, if anyone found out I said a thing, it’s my head on the chopping block. Not yours.”</p><p>Boss winced, nodding as Bitsy gave a soft sigh, then started to scrunch up, and Red hefted her up, rubbing her little back to help her hiccup. She was more intrigued in burbling at Boss, letting out little spit bubbles. “WE COULD PROTECT YOU, THOUGH.”</p><p>”Yeah, right,” Red muttered, rolling his eyes. “…look, you’re sweet, but there’s not a lot to save me out of this.”</p><p>”THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING!” Boss got up, looking upset at the notion that he just couldn’t help. Red remained impassive as the baby kicked her feet eagerly. “ANYTHING AT ALL THAT COULD ASSURE YOU THAT WE CAN HELP!”<br/>Red looked away, frowning, then back, nodding. “Fine. There’s something you can do for me.”<br/>Boss nodded, looking determined. “ANYTHING!”</p><p>Red sighed, shifting Bitsy up onto his shoulder, letting her drool happily on him, and started his request.</p><p>~~</p><p>‘This letter might not make it to you before I do. Stupid postal system, innit?</p><p>Anyway.</p><p>So uh, remember when I was a dopey little kid and you were the teen next door that watched me more than my fucking parents did? And how I used to say one day we’d just live by ourselves, be doctors and like, hang out in a pool?</p><p>Life’s weird like that.</p><p>The last time we saw each other was kind of a fucking mess, and I’m sorry I dragged you into my dumbass family like that. But, you helped me out, even if it meant I disappeared for years. I’m sure you thought I was dead. Maybe you even told my parents that.</p><p>Don’t tell them I’m writing to you. We both know it’d end fucking horrible.</p><p>…I’m in some trouble. Not, technically, legally, but in a way that I could very well die from.</p><p>…I need your help. I’ve got a kid. Surprise! Heh. She’s uh, she’s a sprout, love of my life, only a few weeks old. I think. Time has been weird lately, and what with everything happening, I’m not able to concentrate as well as I could.</p><p>I uh, we, uh.</p><p>I need you to take her in if something happens to me.</p><p>I’ve…got someone willing to do so, but he’s close to the problem. I explained that if I’m out of the picture, they’ll focus on him. They won’t expect you, and I need her kept safe. I need her to live even if I can’t.</p><p>I’m told we have to lay low, and thankfully this ‘surprise visit’ constitutes as laying low. Getting out of town, I guess.</p><p>I wanted to show her to you, even if nothing happens I want you two to meet. I wanted to come to you when I got pregnant. I remember when I broke my leg falling out of a tree, and you were the only one to take me to the ER.</p><p>Fell, this isn’t easy on me. I don’t want to think about any of this. But I can’t hide away forever. I can’t keep her safe with me, forever.</p><p>On the other hand, hey, you’re a grandpa! Grats! I don’t think she’s gonna be a science baby, sorry to squash the dreams.</p><p>Boss-that’s the officer helping me, he’s a real sweetheart-had to leave his car and we had to pack up what we had. We’re coming by train because buses fucking suck, and trains have compartments where Bitsy-that’s my baby-can scream her little lungs out without bothering anyone.</p><p>Yeah, she does that sometimes. It’s only funny when it’s no longer than like, five minutes. Her face scrunches up and she flexes her little hands. So cute!</p><p>…you were always so much older than me, it seemed. Like you were an adult while I was just a five year old. You were larger than life and you kept me safe from things that might’ve been worse.</p><p>I trust you.</p><p>I’m sorry for the past few years. My whole ‘ignore it until it becomes a problem’ backfired on me badly.</p><p>I’ll explain more when we show up. </p><p>It’s just like high school, remember? You got your new apartment and it was raining and I just was there at your doorstep, soaking wet.</p><p>You said ‘my home is always open’.</p><p>I’m taking you up on that.</p><p>…I missed you. We’ll see you soon.</p><p>Red.’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fell: this is my son, Red<br/>Friend: ...isn't he only like, 7 years younger than you?<br/>Fell: don't ever talk to me or my son ever again</p><p>Boss, secretly, swings it for witness protect bc Red doesn't believe it'll help, so they gotta convince him to lay low for a bit. Also he feels suuuuper guilty that Boss is having to give up a lot of stuff just bc of him<br/>Boss still finds him amazing and sweet despite everything &lt;3</p><p>anywho, this is going to be interesting UwU</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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